Coalition of Ordered Governments
The Coalition of Ordered Governments (COG) was a supranational union on the planet Sera. Headquartered in the Tyran capital of Ephyra, the COG comprised almost every nation on the planet prior to Emergence Day. The COG originated as a socialist political faction theorized by Alexiy Desipich and founded by Nassar Embry and the Allfathers.Gears of War: Jacinto's Remnant pg 75 Prior to the Gold Rush, the COG was a relatively minor political movement. The discovery of the lightmass process and subsequent commencement of the Pendulum Wars resulted in the COG becoming a global superpower.Gears of War: Destroyed Beauty The victory of the COG over the Union of Independent Republics in the Pendulum Wars gave it near-complete domination over the entire planet. However, the outbreak of the Locust War forced it to retreat to the Jacinto Plateau and use its Hammer of Dawn technology to scorch the remainder of Sera. The devastation of the planet left the COG on Jacinto Plateau as the sole force capable of combating the Locust. Over fifteen years, COG forces gradually retreated from the Locust, leaving Jacinto City as the sole remaining bastion of the COG. After sinking Jacinto in a desperate attempt to eliminate the Locust, the COG relocated to Vectes Island. The Lambent Invasion forced the remaining COG forces to abandon Vectes and separate into various settlements, resulting in the dissolution of the nearly century-old alliance.Gears of War: Coalition's End pg 388 History Alexiy Desipich's political theory Years before the Pendulum wars, Alexiy Desipich created the political concept of the COG with its core values of Order, Diligence, Purity, Labor, Honor, Loyalty, Faith, and Humility.http://media.xbox360.ign.com/media/747/747891/img_2896871.html Nassar Embry and the Allfathers After the Lightmass Process was perfected and Imulsion was turned into a valuable fuel that few nations had vast reserves of, the global economy collapsed and a fuel crisis emerged. The Allfather Prime - Nassar Embry - and his fellow Allfathers who were heads of states that held Imulsion reserves united under the Octus Canon and formed the Coalition of Ordered Governments.Gears of War: Coalition's End pg 388 Pendulum Wars During the Pendulum Wars on Sera, the COG was responsible for peacekeeping and helping those in need, gaining strength and popularity rapidly, eventually becoming the chief political faction. While the war raged on, the political party issued many decrees and acts that gained them credit as well as widespread fame. Their fame however was brief, as shortly after the devastating 79-year conflict came to an end, the COG was faced with a new crisis: The Locust Horde and more specifically, the Locust War. During the Pendulum Wars, the COG built a series of hidden bunkers including Cherrit.Gears of War: Jacinto’s Remnant pg 67 Locust War When the Locust Horde attacked on Emergence Day, the COG struggled to take quick action against their new enemy. The Locusts' surprise assault caught the COG off guard. They rallied to war only too late, with the Locust already dominating the majority of Sera's urban, military, and industrial centers. Given the Locust habit of looting captured cities and fallen enemies and using their stolen assets in their war against the Humans, the COG leaders (notably Chairman Prescott) saw only one solution: a combination of a scorched-earth strategy using the Hammer of Dawn array to deny the Locust total victory, and a declaration of martial law through the Fortification Act to organize and rebuild what was left of humanity. Enactment of the Fortification Act After the E-Day attack, the Council of Sovereigns passed the Fortification Act, which was highly popular (in COG controlled areas) but limited personal freedoms, levied all able bodied men into the military, and Rationed all food supplies. It also had the COG Department of Conscription handle all former Stranded, and turned them into conscripts. Women that couldn't give birth were placed in either non-combat positions such as pilots, medics or Control operators, or took part in "war work" by working in factories and hospitals. The majority of the women who could give birth entered "breeding farms" and received extra rations for doing their part in repopulating the human race.Gears of War: Hollow Hammer of Dawn Counterattack Then, the human leaders ordered the evacuation of all survivors to the Jacinto Plateau, a safe-haven from the Locust who could not penetrate it as easily from below due to a base of thick, solid granite. Those unable to escape were issued the following message: The orbital laser weapons known as the Hammer of Dawn were fired all over Sera, burning away all Locust occupied areas—and the unfortunate civilians who were unable to evacuate in the three days they were given to reach Jacinto. Humans stalled the E-Day invasion, but at a terrible cost. Nearly 90% of Sera's surface was left a barren wasteland while the Locust, secure in their subterranean cavern homes, survived. The war would continue for over 15 long and bloody years.Gears of War TrailerGears of War 2 intro The actions of the COG on E-Day would forever brand them Fascists in the eyes of the Stranded.Gears of War Move to Vectes For the first time in a long time there was hope for the future of the COG. They sacrificed Jacinto to destroy the Locust and mostly succeeded. There seem to only be mostly disorganized stragglers left. After abandoning Jacinto the COG made an attempt to survive in a ruined but not obliterated city on the mainland and failed. Abandoning that plan, the COG moved to Vectes Naval Base on an island safe from Locust incursion due to a deep sea floor trench. There the remnants of humanity were able to rebuild in peace from the Locust with the only threats being Stranded groups in the nearby islands. With the addition of 4,000 more people from the Republic of Gorasnaya - a former UIR nation which joined the COG as part of a deal to join the survivors on Vectes - there was even more hope. While living on the island, they discovered former "Indies", the COG's enemies during the Pendulum Wars. Luckily, these men were only interested in joining the COG, and were allowed to move in, but with some trepidation. The COG's current plan is to rebuild on Vectes and one day reclaim the abandoned mainland from what's left of the Locust. Dissolution 18 months after the sinking of Jacinto, the Lambent invaded the surface and the COG began to fall into disarray. Chairman Prescott resigned and abandoned his people and the COG was run by Colonel Victor Hoffman, Captain Quentin Michaelson and Commander Miran Trescu. Attacks on Vectes by the Lambent forced the COG to start looking for other relocation sites, but due to Lambent attacks on the mainland, not even Port Farrall was viable. While there were spots such as Anvil Gate where no Locust or Lambent were, there was not one area big enough to move the COG to and it was forced to disband in order to form smaller communities. The communities would keep in touch with one another and aid each other, but there was no way to maintain a central government anymore. The survivors spread out to various locations including Anvil Gate, led by Hoffman and made up mostly of the citizens of Pelruan and ships at sea led by the CNV Sovereign and Captain Michaelson. Trescu and the Gorasni went their own way to return to Branascu and try to make a living there. The remnants of the COG continued to battle the Locust and the Lambent and eventually defeated and destroyed them with the help of the Gorasni at the Second Battle of Azura, the last remaning COG outpost, a heavily-defended island that held the COG elite and best scientists. Standards and Symbols Gears of War: Aspho Fields pg 51 The Coalition's symbol is a Gear, supposedly to reference its acronym; COG (A cog is a type of gear). The symbol represents the machine and the mutual support that gears need in order for the machine to work and go forward, like Serans in their struggle to survive. Another symbol was the eagle sitting on a Gear. Government Structure The Coalition of Ordered Governments was headed by the Chairman who is elected by the Council of Sovereigns who govern from the House of Sovereigns in Ephyra city. During the Pendulum Wars Chairman Tomas Dalyell had the legal rights to fight the Union of Independent Republics but did not have the powers of Chairman Richard Prescott during the Locust War who used the Fortification Act to limit civil liberties and personal freedoms. One of the most notable branches of the Locust War era government is the COG Department of Conscription which handled the conscription of former Stranded.Last DayGears of War 2 The COG also had a civil protection service. The Department of Health ran the New Hope Research Facility before it shutdown.Gears of War 2 collectible After E-Day, the COG still was able to manage the day-to-day bureaucracy with Mayor Gerard Leland and Governor S.D. Garrand, showing some forms of bureaucracy in the Post E-Day Coalition. Executive Branch The COG was lead by a Chairman, who was elected by the Council of Sovereigns. The Chairman was the highest executive figure in the global alliances of the Coalition. The Chairman of the COG had authority over all the armed forces of members’ states. The second in command, and the second highest executive figure, was the Deputy Chairman. There was also a Cabinet, where individual Departments were created to support specific areas of the COG. Of these Departments, the head of each of these Departments were a part of the Cabinet; and the Chairman was a part of the Cabinet. Legislative branch The Legislative Branch of the COG Government was the Council of Sovereigns who were housed in the House of Sovereigns. The Council Of Sovereigns of the Legislative Branch of COG government, had the job of overseeing all day to day affairs of the Coalition of Ordered Governments. Judicial branch In Tyrus, Jocelin Baird was a Tyran magistrate and in Kashkur, the Aldermans had legal rights to impose punishment based upon the breaking of legal laws.Gears of War: Anvil Gate pg 111Gears of War: Anvil Gate 240 The COG Army had its own judicial laws that can be executed in the field, including the execution of Geril Atar for stealing food to feed his starving family, in reference to the Military Emergency Measures Act, and the sentencing of Marcus Fenix to forty year prison term in the Slab for disobeying military orders and abandoning his fellow Gears and post.Gears of War: Anvil Gate pg 411Gears of War After E-Day, Sera was placed under martial law with the Fortification Act, a constitutional law limiting citizens rights and civil liberties. The Military Emergency Measures Act, was COG law that allowed Gears officers to imposed martial law on cities during the Pendulum Wars.Gears of War: Anvil Gate pg 411 Education All of the pre-Emergence Day schools in the COG were government controlled, and heavily taught the principals of the Octus Canon. The schools in the COG taught basic education and the concept of unity for both people and nations. All students had to wear uniforms to remind them they are all the same. After E-Day the only purpose of schools was to keep kids from turning into random gangs on the streets of Jacinto. List of known COG Schools: *Bonbourg University (After the Pendulum Wars) *Olafson Intermediate School *LaCroix University *Contemporary Combat Center Society and Culture COG society revolved around the army and was bred into the social fabric.Gears of War: Aspho Fields pg 173 The COG had a very diverse culture, from the tribal South Islanders (along with the Northerner immigrants) to the very militarized Tyran people that idolized the Armed forces. The Kashkuri people's pride and joy was their Silver Era architecture. COG citizens and mostly Tyrans did not normally protest government actions regardless of the actions.Gears of War: Jacinto's Remnant pg 193 Students in East Barricade Academy were more vocal about protesting the Pendulum Wars, which was in fact fought over Imulsion rights and not democracy,Gears of War 1 anti war postersGears of War: Unsaid and some students accused Gears of being "babykillers" for taking part in the war during a Career day event at the campus.Gears of War: Aspho Fields The Day of the Fallen holiday was celebrated for the fallen soldiers of the COG.Gears of War: Anvil Gate pg 318 Human Rights Record Pendulum Wars Learan Prison The Learan prison camp was one of the many POW camps run by the COG during the Pendulum Wars. Several Gorasni soldiers were held there during the war were tortured by the Gear soldiers’ stationed there. One Gorasni had his arm forced down onto a hot-plate that scared his arm badly, while another Gorasni had his hands cut off. Many of the Gorasni there starved to death, and Gears took pictures of the atrocities there that fell into the hands of some of the surviving Gorasni.Gears of War: Coalition's End pg 172Gears of War: Dirty Little Secrets Part Two Half a Gorasni regiment starved to death at Learn POW camp. Bombing of Sikorla During the Pendulum Wars, the COG bombed Sikorla. The Gorasni viewed that action as a war crime. New Hope Chairman Monroe approved the opening of the New Hope Research Facility and later its shutdown after the media began to question the reason for the remote facility. In New Hope a 15 year old Ruth along with other children where experimented on and the Sires where created. Chairman Monroe ordered the shutdown and the "children" to be sent too Mount Kadar by foot.Gears of War 2 Act 3: Gathering Storm: Origins After the shutdown, New Hope was classified and documents pertaining to its existence were only declassified during Operation: Hollow Storm. Only Chairman Richard Prescott knew of the New Hope and kept his Chief of the COG Defense Staff, Victor Hoffman in the dark. Dom Santiago theorized that New Hope was a POW camp or interment camp.Gears of War 2: Act 3: Gathering Storm: Origins Ordered execution of civilians at Aspho Fields Two years before E-Day, The COG Intelligence Agency discovery that the UIR had won the race for Orbital weapons while the COG satellites were still only computer simulations. Chairman Tomas Dalyell and his military advisors including then Major Victor Hoffman and Adam Fenix debated a possible raid and seizure of the Hammer of Dawn technology. Adam Fenix recommended that the civilian scientists should be executed to stop the UIR from rebuilding their lost technology, while Hoffman could not stomach the idea of killing innocent people. Adam Fenix replied that these civilians could lead to the deaths of millions of COG citizens.Gears of War:Anvil Gate Hammer of Dawn Over one year after E-Day, the COG was forced to used the Hammer of Dawn to denied the Locust Horde from using the COG own war assets against them. The Hammer of Dawn, vaporizer 90% of the Seran surface killing millions of COG and Gorasni citizens. Both the newly created Stranded and the remnant of the Gorasni people viewed this mass murder. Locust War Birthing Farms After the E-Day attacks and the Hammer of Dawn counterattack, the human population dropped to near extinction, forcing Chairman Richard Prescott to begin a Birthing Creche program. Having all fertile women placed in the "farms", so they could breed with superior Gears and theoretically give birth to genetically superior soldiers. Young girls under the age of ten were placed in the farms and treated as prize breeding animals, and the women with the most healthy children received the best treatment. At the age of ten the girls where given hormones to begin the process of ovulation and prepare them for giving birth.Gears of War: Barren Part Two Most of the woman and girls were artificially impregnated, but some of the girls where impregnated the "old ways" by Gears, to help with their morale, and in the hope the girls would give birth too genetically superior soldiers. One of the most notorious farms was the one at Jilane. Women who could not give birth were declared "Barren" and sent to the frontlines to fight as Gears or as a support soldier, such as working in the Coalition High Command, or the Combat Information Center. Rough Questionings of Civilians Jacinto Sentinel Newspaper reported that the COG denied the rough questioning of civilians by COG soldiers.Gears of War 2 Collectable Stranded Insurgency Execution of Stranded After the sinking of Jacinto, the COG discovered the remnant of the UIR nation of Gorasnaya. The two former enemy states joined under the banner of the COG, and moved together to the island of Vectes. During this time the Stranded Insurgency claimed many COG and Gorasni lives, leading Miran Trescu of the Gorasni navy and now high member of the COG to captured three Stranded, and execute one of them in hopes of finding where the Stranded get their supplies and reinforcements. Economy Since the energy crisis created from the Lightmass Process and rampant speculation. The Allfathers who where head of states of nations with Imulsion reserves united giving them a monopoly on Imulsion. Gears of War: Coalition's End pg 388 After the Pendulum Wars started, Imulsion was being fought for to keep power on in the COG.Gears of War:Unsaid The currency the COG used was called the Dollar.Gears of War 3 Armed Forces List of Branches: *Coalition of Ordered Governments Army *Coalition of Ordered Government Air Corpshttp://gearsofwar.xbox.com/en-US/brotherstotheendGears of War:Aspho Fields pg 107 *Coalition of Ordered Governments Navy Pre-Pendulum Wars The Gear soldier predated the Pendulum Wars. Pendulum Wars Before the E-Day attack, the COG had numerous soldiers: ranging from elite commandos operating on the field, to standard Gears who fought on the front lines. The Coalition possessed vast armies, a small but capable navy, and a skilled air corps. During the Pendulum Wars, men and women served side by side in the 79 year conflict. Every Gear had the necessary equipment and rations to support him or her on the field. The Coalition numbers were boosted by volunteers, the Pesang people, and troops from vassal nations. After the E-Day assault, the Coalition was forced to deny their enemy the advantage, and scorch the planet with the orbiting Hammer of Dawn satellites, destroying all major population and military centers. After the retreat to Jacinto Plateau and leaving millions to die and large amounts of military hardware behind, the COG's engineering corps were forced to get creative with little "kit" they had left. Locust War By the 14th year of the Locust War the Coalition only had a few brigades of troops, the population of a medium sized city, and a undernourished engineering corps.Gears of War: Aspho Fields pg 73Gears of War: Aspho Fields pg 128-129 With Stranded conscripts from Operation Lifeboat unable to boost the shrinking COG army force, High Command was forced to pardon hundreds of thousands of prisoners, levy the sick, young and the old into the Armed forces, and order all women to repopulate the rapidly decreasing population.Gears of War: Destroyed Beauty pg 8 The COG Department of Conscription was created to deal with former Stranded. Due to increased rations, Gears were loathed by part of the human population for being fed more, while, for the most part, humanity was starving. After the sinking of Jacinto, and after the move to the islands, the former inhabitants of the islands disliked the COG Gears because of their violent tendencies, and because they believed that the COG would just cause them more trouble with the Stranded, and survival in general. Remnant during the Lambent invasion Members States *Tyrus (founding member) *Dushin *Kashkur *Ingarez *Sarfuth *South Islands **New Fortitude Territory **Galangi Protectorate *Pelles (joined the COG after the Pendulum Wars)Gears of War: Jacinto’s Remnant *Ostri Republic (joined the COG after the Pendulum Wars) *Gorasnaya (joined the COG after the sinking of Jacinto) Notes *It is unknown what kind of civilian Judicial system the COG had, but some information on Military law is explained including the sentencing of Marcus Fenix to 40 years in Jacinto Maximum Security Prison and execution of Geril Atar under the Military Emergency Measures Act. References Category:COG Category:Government